No matter how motivated and dedicated you are, chances are good that you’ll fall off your diet or exercise routine at one point or another. It may be because you had a rough day at work and fell back into the old trap of making yourself feel better with food. Or, it may be because of some unfortunate freak accident that made you stop working out completely.
It could be that you were invited to spend “happy hour” at the local bar or to a friend’s house and she served some delicious dessert. Or maybe you “took a break” over the holidays to indulge a bit in all your favorite treats.
Perhaps you got sick and needed some comfort food to make you feel better. There are hundreds of reasons why we get off track of our goals. Let’s accept that it’s going to happen. No need to beat yourself up about it. What’s important is what you do next.
How are you going to get back on track and keep this cheat meal or that indulgence day from turning into days and weeks of eating junk food, undoing all the hard work you’ve put in so far?
Forgive Yourself
First and foremost, there’s no sense in beating yourself up. What’s done is done. Forgive yourself and vow to do better in the future. Without forgiveness, you’ll beat yourself up for “failing” instead of just taking the next step forward. That’s all you need to do to be successful. Just keep on moving forward!
Flush Out The “Bad” Stuff
Many convenience foods and sugar in particular can be quite addictive, making it hard to get back on track. I find it helps to eat very clean for at least a day and drink as much water as possible to flush out the “bad” stuff. It makes it easier to get right back on track and stick to your meal plans. Whole foods, homemade foods, and things that come from nature are always better choices than anything from a box.
Recognize Triggers
After you’ve gotten back on track, take a look back and see if you can figure out why you slipped up. What caused you to reach for that tub of ice cream or why did you cave into eating that pizza after having the best intentions of sticking to a grilled chicken salad? Emotional triggers are huge saboteurs of an otherwise healthy eating plan. Recognizing what’s causing you to give in will help you avoid future slip-ups.
Make A Plan To Avoid Future Slip-Ups
Speaking of which, come up with some scenarios on what you can do next time to stay on plan.
For example, if you were meeting friends for dinner and ended up ordering the pizza or burger because you were just too hungry to consider getting the salad, have a snack before you leave the house.
If you’re so busy that it was easier to pull through a fast-food drive-through then think about planning ahead a little better.
If you had a bad day and found yourself reaching for the pint of Chunky Monkey in your freezer then consider not even bringing it into the house.
I hope these tips help you get back on track and reach your fitness goals – whatever they may be.